Motion picture projection machine



y1 1 ..s. FRAPPIVER ETAL' 7 1,958,475

, MOTION PICTURE PROJEQTION MACHINE Filed June 29. 1929 11 Sheets-Sheet l swim to u [wold Boating 1934 L. s. FRAPPIER ET AL MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 192 9 11 Sheets-Sheet 2 y L. s. FRAPPIER ET AL 1,953,475

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 ll Sheets-Sheet 3 MIM . I W HIHHIIH'IIII o "WNW INVENTORS 100/5 6. fiapp/br Lwa/a 508C??? MATTORNEY y 1934- L. s. FRAPPIVER ETAL 1,953,475

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 11 sheets-sheer:

May 15, 1934'.

s. FRAPPIER ET AL MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE 11 Sheet-Sheet 5 Filed June 29,. 1929 May 15, 1934. L. s. FRAPPIER ET AL MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 ll Sheets-Sheet 6 gnvcnfow y I L. s. FRAPPIER ET AL 1,958,475

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 11 Sheets-Sheet 7 L. S. FRAPPIER ET AL v MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE May 15, 1934.

ll Sheets-Sheet '8 Filed June 29. 1929 mvam'ogs laws 5 f'rapp/er y 4- L. s. FRAPPIERVET AL 1,958,475

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 ll Sheets-Sheet 9 Elwoenfovi L. s. FRAPPIER ET AL 58,475 MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 11 Sheets-Sheet 1O Y 1934- L. sqF RAPP leR HAL 58,475

MOTION PICTURE PROJECTION MACHINE Filed June 29, 1929 ll Sheets-Sheet ll l N V E N To R S law's \sfra aier BY [wold Boecf/hg .MJN ATTCSRNEY Patented May 15, 19 34 UNITED STATES PATEN'U OFFICE i ,3 1,958,475 MOTION rrc'rcaa raomc'non mcnma poration of Delaware Application June 29, 1929, Serial No. 374,676

6 Claim.

This invention relates to motion pic ure prcjection machines, and more particularly to a new and improved projection head for a machine capable of simultaneously projectingpictures and reproducing a sound record. 7

The invention provides a projection head for a machine of the above character which is divided into a plurality of independent compartments, each of the compartments being provided with a separatedoor or closure. These compartments 'may comprise a film compartment coniaining the operating mechanism of the projection head, a sound compartment, photo-electric cell compartment and amplifier compartment. Inasmuch as adjustments in the mechanism of the various apparatus may be required at different times, independent means are provided for opening and closing each of /the compartments without interfering with the operation of the others thereof.

The invention further provides automatic switches for disconnecting the driving motor and (he amplifier when the door to the film compartment is open, and for automatically stopp the driving motor in response to breakage of the film.

The invention also comprises various other 1 details of-. .construction which will be hereinafter 'set forth.

An object of the invention is to provide a projection head for a talking motion picture projector which is capable of operating with a minimum amount of interruption and which is provided with safety mechanism for preventing operation when the parts are disarranged.

Ano'her object of the invention is to provide a safety device for preventing accidental operation of the machine when the door of the film compartment is open, and for preventing injury to the operator from contact with the moving parts. Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the folltw'lng description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, :he invention itself, as to its objects and advantages. the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with ihe accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the projection head showing the door to the film compartment in open position;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation with the doorin open position;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the light for the film compartment; 1

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the shield for the framing handle;

Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 6 showing the door in closed position;

Fig. 8 is a similar section showing the door in open position;

Fig. 9 isa plan view partly broken away of interlock for the amplifier switch;

Fig. 10 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of the switch;

Fig. 12 is a detail view of the film compartment in the projection head;-

Fig. 13 is a sectional view showing the film compartment and film operated switch;

Fig. 14 is a detail view of the film operated switch in closed position;

Fig. 15 is a detail view of the film operated switch in open position;

Fig. 16 is a front elevation of the latch for the upper film magazine;

Fig. 17 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 18 is a section taken on the line 1818 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 19 is a side elevation of the projection head showing the interlock mechanism for the operating switch;

Fig. 20 is a section taken on the line 20-20 of Fig. 21;

Fig. 21 isa sectional view showing the guide rollers for feeding the film from the upper film magazine;

Fig. 22 is asection taken on the line 22-42 of Fig. 20;

Fig. 23 is a section taken on the line 23-23 of Fig. 20; I

Fig. 24 is a sectional view of the latch for the projection head door;

Fig. 25 isa section taken on the line 2525 the of Fig. 24; I v

Fig. 26 is a section taken on the line 26-46 of Fig. 24; t

Fig. 27 is a detailed view of the hinge for the upper film magazine door;

Fig. 28 is a side elevation thereof;

Fig. 29 is a section taken on the line 29-29 a parts will be identified by specific names for con-- -venience, but they are intended to be as'generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. 1

Referring to the drawings more in detail, the invention is shown as applied. to a projection machine comprising an upper film magazine 35 (Fig. 3) and projection head having a film compartment 36, sound telescope compartment 37,

photo-electric cell compartment 38 and amplifier compartment 39. The film compartment contains feed sprocket 40, upper film gate 41, inter mittent sprocket 42, lower film gate 43, continuous sprocket 44 and feed sprocket 45, over which a film 46 is passed in the order named.

Light shield 47 is secured to the front of the projection head in aligmnent with lens tube 48. Shutter housing 49 is located at the rear of the film compartment and enclosed a shutter mecha-' nism (not shown) by means of which the light is intermittently applied to the film. Shield 50 is positioned around the aperture in shutter housing 49-and forms a finger guard to prevent injury to the operator.

The sound telescope compartment 37 may contain a source of light for the sound record and a telescope for projecting said light on the sound record of the film and other associated apparatus.

Said compartment is provided with a door 51 which is hingedly secured about the lower portion thereof and locked by means of latch 52. Photoelectric cell compartment 38 may contain a photo-electric cell and suitable mounting mechand is provided with a separate door 53 provided with a latch member 54. Said door is also provided with a light seal comprising an insert 56 (Figs. 30 and 31) of flexible material which cooperates with casing 57 for completely sealing the photo-electric .cell compartmentagainst outside lightwhen the door is in closed position.

The amplifier compartment '39 may contain an amplifying mechanism for amplifying the current produced by the photo-electric cell in response to light variations on the film and applying said current to adistant loud speaker. Said compartment may be closed by a door 58 having alatch 59. Film compartment 36 is closed by a door 60 (Fig. 1) which may be provided with suitable openings 62 through which the mechanism may be'viewed. Said openings maybeclosed by glass or other transparent means. An opening 63 is also provided to permit the projection of the framing handle 64 when the door is in closed position. Opening 63 is normally closed by shield 65 (Figs. 6, 7 and 8) whichis mounted overframing shaft 66 and attached to door 60 by means of a resilient link 6'7. Shield 65 is normally held against said door by means of spring 68 seated aroundsaid shaft between shield 65 and collar 69. When the door is in open position the movement of shield 65 is limited by framing handle 64. Shield 65 serves to form a complete closure for the film compartment when the door is in closed position. When the door is opened, however, said shield is pulled toward the hinged side of the door through a distance determined by the elongated opening '70 whereby access to the mechanism within the film compartment is unimpeded. When the door is again closed spring 67 acts as a compression link and forces said shield over to its original position as shown in Fig. 7.

A projection head light (Fig. 5) is mounted within casting 76 (Fig. 2) on which the upper film magazine is supported. Said lamp is held in said casting by means of a socket 77 which may be of any convenient form and is secured thereto by' screws 78. Opening 80 (Figs. 3 and 5) is formed in the wall of the film compartment adjacent light 75 to permit the rays of said light to enter said compartment and illuminate the various parts thereof. Said opening may be covered by a glass or other transparent means to prevent the film from contacting with light '75.

Gear compartment 81 (Fig. 2) is provided on the projection head adjacent the film compartment. This gear compartment may be oiled by any suitable means and is divided vertically into a plurality of sections each of which may be separately oiled. Gages 82, 83 and 84 are mounted in said sections to provide means for determining the oil level therein. Inasmuch as the projection head is frequently operated in a tilted position it is desirable to provide means for determining the oil level with respect to the gears in said compartment regardless of the angle of operation. For this purpose gage 83 is provided with a plurality of non-parallel slots. Said slots are so arranged that the oil level is indicated by choosing the slot which is parallel to the fioor at the operating angle of the projection head. For example, if-the head is tilted at an angle of some 30 the upper slot in gage 83 would determine the true level of the oil in the corresponding section. Gages 82 and 84 may be similarly constructed but have been shown as provided with a single slot and set at the angle at which the machine is to be operated.

In the example illustrated the gears in the upper and lower compartments have been aspartment 39 and may be electrically connectedin the amplifier circuit for controlling the operation thereof. Said knife switch is provided with a stop 88 of insulating material which may be secured to a blade 89 thereof in any convenient manner. Bell crank lever 90 is pivotally secured in the lower portion of the film compartment and is provided with a downwardly extending section '91 which is adapted to contact with stop 88 in certain positions thereof. Lever 90 is extended forwardly of the film compartment and is adapted to contact with door 60 when said door is in closed position. Spring 92 is utilized for normally holding said .lever in a position to contact with stop 88 and door 60, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9. Consequently when the door is opened the lever will be rotated in response to spring 92. thereby bringing section 91 into alignment with stop 88. Section 91 will accordingly contact with said stop as shown inthe dotted position in Fig. 11, and prevent switch 86 from being closed.

. means When door is clomd, however, lever is moved about its pivot bringing section 91 out of alignment with stop 88 whereby switch 88 may be closed as desired.

The operating motor for the projection head may be controlled by a mercury switch, illustrated in l'igs.-12 to 15 as including a pair of contacts95 securedinatube96containing aportion of mercury 97. Said tube is secured in a bracket 98 having U-shaped members 99 which contact with the sides of said tube and hold the same in position. Bracket 98 is pivotally supported from pivot 100. Lever 101 is also supported from said pivot as by yoke 102. Spring 108 is secured to bracket 98 by screw 104 and bears against lever 101 for normally holding the same in alignment with said bracket as shown in Fig. 14. Said spring, however, permits independent movement of said bracket and said lever to the position shown in Fig. 15.

For controlling the position of bracket 98 there is provided a film operated lever 105 which is pivotally mounted to the frame of the projection head as by pivot 106. Said lever 105 is positioned to contact with the film 46 when upper loop 107 (Fig. 3). becomes enlarged for any reasons such as the interruption of the feeding of the film due to breakage. Lever 105 is provided with a flange 205 which contacts with web 206 on the projection head for limiting the movement thereof. The lever then forms a guide for directing the film into magazine 135. Lever 108 is pivoted as at 109 and secured to bracket 98 by means 02 projecting member 110. Lever 108 and lever 105 are interconnected by link 111, the arrangement being such that' a counter-clockwise movement of lever 105 (Fig. 12) depresses extending member 110 and causes pivotal movement of bracket 98 about pivot 100 thereby bring ns tube 9,8 into the position shown in Fig. 15 and whereby contacts 95 are broken.

Lever 101 is adapted to contact with lug carried on rod 116 which is slidably secured to the inside of door60 (Fig. 19). Lugs 117, 118, 119 and120 are also secured to rod 116 and determine the vertical position thereof. Lug 117 is adapted to contact with handle 127 which controls the position of the pad rollers 128 cooperating with feed sprock'et 40. Lug 118 is positioned to contact with handle 129 formed on upper film gate 41. Lug's 119 and 120 contact with handles 130 and 131 by means of which filmgate 48 and pad rollers 132 respectively, are controlled. Said pad rollers 132 cooperate with feed sprocket 45 for holding the film in contact there with. The particular construction of pad roller arms and film gates forms no part of the present invention and are not described in detail. Handles 127, 129, 130 and 131 are so positioned that when the pad rollers and film gates are in open position they contact with corresponding lugs 117 to 120 and hold rod 116 in raisedposi'tion. In this case lug 115 permits lever 101 to come into raised position thereby pivotally moving tube 98 and opening-the switch. when the pad rollers and film gates are in closed position handles127, 129, 130 and 131 are brought out of engagement withcorresponding lugs 117 and 120 and allow rod 118 to come into its lower position there y bringing lug 115 into engagement with lever 101. Said lever is thus brought into its .lower position as'shown in Fig. 14 and'the switch to the driving apparatus is closed.

It is noted that the switch above described is normally in open position and is only brought as above described.

should break, the upper loop 107 becomes enlarged and contacts with lever 105, causing pivotal movement of said lever and operating the switch I A sufilciently large magazine 135 (Figs. 3 and 19) is provided at the upper portion of the film compartment to care for the amount of film which will be run into said compartment before the mechanism is automatically brought to rest. This magazine in combination with the automatic film operated switch prevents the film from becoming damaged when the feed is interrupted. V

Guide rollers 136 (Figs. 20 to 23) are provided in the upper portion of the film compartment for directing the film from the upper magazine on to the feed sprocket 40. Said rollers are mounted on rods 137 by oilless bearings 138. Said bearings may be formed of any suitable material such as bearium metal. Rods 137 are pinned in yoke 139 which is secured in the frame of the projection head as by pin 140. Pin 140 permits the yoke 139 to be angularly adjusted to bring rollers 136 into the desired position after which it may be secured by set screw 141.

Upper film magazine 35 is provided with a door 142 which is hinged by hinge 143 and is provided with a latch 144. Said latch as shown in Figs. 10 to'18 comprises a member 145 which is pivotally secured to said door as at 148 and is provided with an inturned fiange 147 which bears against flange 148 formed on the casing 149 of the film magazine. Spring 150 is secured about the pivot 148 and normally holds latch .144 in closed position. This latch member provides means for securing door 142 in closed position without interfering with the operation of the film. It is to be noted that no portion of the latch mechanism extends inside of the casing and furthermore the latch may operate on any .portion of the'periphery of the casing.

slide about the-periphery of, the film magazine.

It is accordingb possible to so position hinge 143 thatdoor 143 opens in a horizontal position irrespective of the angular position of the projection head. Latch 144 will cooperate with fiange 148 of the casing 149 regardless of the angular position of said door.

Door 60 may be held in closed pcsitimby latch 162 (Fig. 3) which is shownv more in detail in Figs. 24, 25 and 26. Said latch comprises a rotatable shaft 183 which is secured in said door in any suitable manner and is provided with an operating handle 164. On,the inner end of said shaft is provided a cone 165 having a. flattened surface 188. Spring 187 is mounted around shaft 163 for normally holding the latch in engaged position. One end 168 of said spring is held in a suitable aperture in handle 164. The other end 169 is held in a groove in door 60. Spring mem ber 170 is secured to the inside of the casing of the projection head by screws 171 and 172, in a position to engage with the cone 165 when the door is in closed position. An elongated slot 173 may be formed in spring 170 adjacent screw 172 to permit the necessary movement of said spring when the door is being closed. Spring 170 may be provided with an aperture 174 to engage cone 165.v The above described latch mechanism is normally held so that cone 165 engages spring 1'70. It may be released, however, by turning said cone to bring flattened surface "166 into alignment with said spring. When pressure on handle 164 is released spring 167 will again rotate cone 165 into engaging position. When the door is closed the cone surface will contact with spring 170 forcing said spring outwardly to permit pe of said cone after which it will again assume engaging position. Latches 52, 54and 59 may be formed in a similar manner if desired.

Referring to Figs. 32 to 34, the upper film gate 41 is shown as slidably supported in a housing 200 which is pivotally secured for movement about pin 201, said pin forming'a part of bracket 202 which is secured to frame 203 in any convenient manner. ,Bracket 202 may be slidably secured to frame 203 by dovetail 204 if desired and held in adjusted position by set screw 205.

Pin 201 is formed with a pair of shoulders 206 which engage screws 207 threaded into housing 200. The pivotal position of said housing with respect to pin 201 is controlled by suitably adjusting screws 207. For causing pivotal movement of housing 200 one of the screws 207 is released and the other oisaid screws is tightened against its cooperating shoulder 206. In this manner, by releasing one screw and tightening the opposite screw, a minute adjustment may be made and the housing may be brought into proper alignment.

Aperture plate' 210 is supported from light tube 211 in any convenient manner. A cooling member 212 may be included within light tube 211 for extracting the heat of the projection light from the aperture plate. Tube 211 is rotatably 'secured'in housing 214 and is provided with a pair of, shoulders 215 which engage screws 216. Screws 216 are threaded in housing 214 and-provide i'or rotatably adjusting light tube 211 with respect thereto, adjustments being similar to that described in connection with screws 207.

Only so much of the aperture and film gate have been described as is necessary to an understanding pf the present invention. One type which may be employed is described more in detail in the copending application of Frappier & Boecking. for improvements in Projection machine, Serial No. 303.162, filed August 31, 1928.

It is to be noted that in the above described mechanism the various operating compartments of the projection head are provided with separate closure members which may be operated independently. Furthermore, the machine cannot be operated while the door to the film compartment is open nor while either the pad rollers or the film gates are in open position.- The switch of the amplifier cannot be initially closed While the door to the film compartment is openand the machine is automatically stopped in response to breakage in the film.- a I 4 An adjustable hinge on the door for the upper film magazine permits the door to be swung into horizontal position whereby amaximum clearance between the door and the wall of the projection room may be obtained. The latch for the film magazine is formed entirely on the outside there of and is capable of operating regardless of the angular position or the door. The latches for the doors to the various operating compartments are formed with the spring entirely concealed and present a neat and compact appearance.

The adjustment described for the aperture plate and the film gate permits these elements to be accurately aligned with the projection rays by various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: y

1'. In a. projection head having pad roller arms and film gates, a switch for controlling driving apparatus, a door for closing said projection head,

- a lever carried by said door for holding said switch in closed position when said door is closed and members on said pad roller arm and said film gates adapted to prevent said lever from operating when said pad roller arms or said film gates are not in normal running position.

2. In combination with a projection head, a

switch comprising a tube containing mercury and r a pair of electric contacts, a pivoted bracket supporting said tube, a pivoted lever and means interconnecting said lever and said bracket, said means being adapted to cause movement of said lever in one direction to cause corresponding movement of said bracket and also to permit independent movement of said bracket in said direction, said projection head having film operating mechanism and a door, said film operating mechanism controlling the position of said bracket and said door controlling the position otsaid lever.

3. In combination with a projection head, a switch comprising a tube containing mercury and a pair of electric contacts, a pivoted bracket supporting said tube, a pivoted lever and means inter connecting said lever and said bracket, said means being adapted to cause movement of said lever in one direction to cause corresponding move-- ment of said bracket and also to permit independent movementpf said bracket in said direction, said projection head having film operating mechanism and a door, said film. operating means for controlling the position of said bracket, said door 1 controlling the position of said lever, and-means controlled by the film operating mechanism when I said door is opened so as to provide ready access to said projection head. v v

5. In a projection head having a pad roller arm emma mavahie a switch for operating a driving meter, and means cooperating with said pad mller arms and said film gates for closing said switeh pmy when said pad roller arms and said film gates are m epemting position.

LOUIS S. WEBER, E'WALD 

